teufant



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. A. TRUPANT. DOLL.

No. 537,791. Patented Apr. 16, 1 ,895.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.-

B; A. TRUPANT.

" DOLL.

110 531791. Patents d Apr; 16, 1895,

NI'IE STATES n'rn r Fries.

BERTHA A. TRUFANT, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

DOLL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 537,791, dated April16, 1 895. Application filedDeoember 27,1894. Serial No. 583,104.(Nomodeh) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERTHA A. TRUFANT, a citizen of the United States,residing at'New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dolls,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a doll made from paper or analogous stiff orfirm material which is so constructed as to stand alone withoutextraneous support.

My improvement consists in novel features of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In order that my invention may be fully,

understood, I will proceed to describe it with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in

' which-- plan view of a blank for a mantle.

Figure I is a plan view of a blank from which my improved dollfigure-form is constructed having the head portions connected.

Fig. II is a front view of the figure-form made blank for a bridaldress, or any dress requiring train and low neck out. Fig. IX is a planview of a decorated blank for the veil of the bridal dress showing atongue for holding the veil at the back of the head. Fig. X is aperspective view of the figure-form with bridal dress and veil applied.Fig. XI is a front view of the figure-form with a street costume and hatapplied. Fig. XII is a back View thereof. Fig. XIII is a plan view of adecorated blank for a hat. Fig. XIV is a front view of the hat blankfolded. Fig. XV is a Fig. XVI

is a frontview of the figure-form with the street costume, hat, andmantle applied. Fig.

XVII is a plan view of a blank for a dress.

In carrying out my invention, Icut ablank for a figure-form as shown inFig. I, of one or two pieces of paper, cardboard,linen, or othersuitable stiff or firm texture or material, with head portions 1, 1 bodyportions 2, 2, skirt portions 3, 3, and approximately triangular sideextensions 3' and tabs 3 on the skirt portion 3'. This blank is printed,lithographed, or otherwise decorated to represent difierent classes orraces of people or animals and different kinds of costumes.

Inbuilding up the figure-form, if made of paper as shown in Figs. II andIII, I secure the head portions, and body portions together by adhesivematerial or other material so as to form a preferably flat upper part.This part may be embossed or rounded as indicated in dotted lines inFig. III. The tabs on the front portion of the skirt are next foldedinward on the dotted lines with the approximately triangular sideextensions and secured either to the inside or outside of the backportion of the skirt by means of adhesive material or other means, toproduce the rounded effect. As additional means for fastening theskirtportions of the figure-form together, I provide tabs 3 on the rearportion of the skirt which pass outside of the tabs of the front portionof the skirt and through slits 3 in the tabs. One of the tabs 3 isformed witha tongue or head 3 which engages slits 3 of the other tab 3This fastening dispenses with gluing and can be fastened and unfastenedat will. Ifthe blank is made of some stiff or firm textile materialIstitch or fasten the upper parts together and also stitch or fasten thetongues to the back portion of he skirt in a similar manner. Thefigure-form thus produced is shown in Figs. II and III, and will readilystand by itself, thus dispensing with any filling or extraneousisupport.

It will be seen that the skirt flares downwardly from the waist-line tothe base, thus forming a skirt of approximately triangular form in sideview while the body and head portions are flat or flattened.

InFig. IV, I show a modification in which the blank is connected at thefoot instead of at the head of the figure-form by a base portion 4.having end tabs or strips 43. The back of the skirt portion is providedwith tongues extending the length of the skirt portion providing sidestrips 3 which are folded on the dotted lines. In building up thismodified figure-form the upper parts are secured together, the endstrips of the base portion are secured to the lower edge of the frontportion of the skirt and the strips on the sides of the back portion ofthe skirt are secured to the triangular side extensions of the frontportion of the skirt thus producing the figure-form shown in Fig. V.

In Fig. VI, I show still another modification in which the head portions1, 1, are connected as shown in Fig. I, and the base portion isdispensed with. This figure-form is built up by connecting thetriangular side extensions of the front of the skirt portion with thestrips 3 on the back of the skirtportion pro ducing the figure-formshown in Fig. VII.

In Fig. VIII, I show my decorated blank for a garment in the form of abridal dress or any evening, or full dress out in one or more pieceswith the body portions 6, 6,- head opening 7, rounded skirt portions 8,S; the front portion of the skirt having approximately triangular sideextensions 8 and securing tabs 8 folded on the dotted lines and securedto the back-portion as shown in Fig.1.

In Fig. IX, 1 show 'my decorated blank for a bridal veil having a trainportion 9 and illusion portion 10, the position of the head of thefigure form being indicated therein. This is secured by a tongue 9,which may enter a slit 1 in the head of the figure-form so as to belocked thereto, or the head may be fitted in the slits 9 with the tonguefitting closely to the back of the head while the illusion passes downthe sides of the head at front to the back of the body-portion under theveil. The veil is preferably glued at the edges, and applied as shown inFig. X.

In Fig. X, I show the bridal dress, and veil in position on thefigure-form.

In Figs. XI and XII, I show a back and front view of a street costume orhigh neck dress having closely fitting neck portion 11, and the slits 7in the body 6, 6 running parallel with the length thereof which permitsthe head of the figure-form to be passed through the garment at rightangles thereto and then turned in the neck into position so as to belocated in the same plane as the garment. This costume has a roundedskirt 8, S connected by the triangular side extensions 8 In Fig. XIII,.Ishow my hat blank having a front portion 12 formed with a tongue 13,which passes back of the head, slits 12 at the sides of the tongue toreceive the head of the figure-form, whereby the hat is supported,- andhaving a back portion 14. overhanging the back of the head of thefigure-form. The tongue may enter the transverse slit 1 in the upperpart of the figure form so as to be securely and removably lockedthereto. The hat portionsare folded and glued together as ment or dressis.shown in Fig. XVII formed in one or two pieces, the front and backportions being joined by tabs Sf, (located on the triangular sideextensions 8 and additionally by tabs 8 on the rear portion 8 passingthrough slits 8 in the front portion and pro- Vided-with a fasteningconsisting of a tongue or head 8 in one member and slits 8 in the othermember of the fastening.

By triangular side extensions or similar expressions in thespecification, relating to these parts of the blanks,l refer to thedifference in width between the larger and the smaller skirt orbase-portions, or those parts by which the full rounded side of theskirt in the finished article, exceeds the narrow side in width andwhich parts are indicated by dotted lines in the drawings. It is not tobe understood that these dotted lines necessarilyjndicate the locationof creases, for, while the wider portion may be creased on these linesin making a base of substantially wedge shape, the entire width of thewider portion, including these triangular side-extensions, is preferablycurved as a whole so as to make one full rounded side.

The blanks for the figure-form and garments may be cut in one or twopieces and may be decorated with a variety of different figures orcostumes as I do not restrict. myself to the decorations shown in thedrawings which do not give an adequate idea of the really beautifuleffects accomplished by hand painting the blanks.

My blanks can be printed on sheets and cut out by the purchaser or userin the ordinary manner.

I am aware that rag-dollsor stuffed figureforms have been made withrounded bases and I do not therefore claim broadly a doll formed with arounded base.

Having thus described my invention, the

following is What I claim as new therein and desire to secure by LettersPatent:

1. A blank for a figure-form formed of one or more pieces of paper oranalogous firm material, having front and back skirt portions,

one of the skirt portions having approximately IIO portion havingapproximately triangular side extensions, a rear skirt portion, andmeans for connecting the skirt portions to form a rounded skirt,substantially as described.

3. A blank for a figure-form formedof one or more pieces having frontand back head portions, front and back body'portions, and front and backskirt portions, connecting tabs on one portion having slits andconnecting tabs on the other portion having a fastening consisting of atongue and slits; substantially as described.

4. A blank forafigure-form formed of one or more pieces having front andback head portions, front and back body portions, front and back skirtportions, one of the skirt portions having approximately triangular sideextensions connecting tabs for the skirt portions, and a base portionconnecting the lower edges of the skirt portions; substantially asdescribed.

5. A figure-form formed of paper or analogous firm material having headand body portions secured together, and downwardly flaring skirtportions having tabs by which they are secured together one of the skirtportions having approximately triangular side extensions; substantiallyas described.

6. A figure-form having head and body portions secured together, anddownwardly flaring skirt-portions having approximately triangular sideextensions extending from the Waist-line to the bottom of the skirtportions; substantially as described. 1

7. A garment blank having body portion longitudinally slitted for thehead of the figure-form, a neck opening skirt portions, and tabs forconnecting the skirt portions together; substantially as described.

8. The combination of, the figure-form hav- 4o ing head and bodyportions, and downwardly flaring skirt portions, secured together, and agarment having a neck opening longitudinally slitted body portions, andskirt portions, substantially as described.

9. A blank for a bridal veil formed with a train portion, and illusionportion, a tongue, and slits between the tongue and the illusionportion; substantially as described.

10. A blank for a head-covering having a front portion formed with atongue and slits for receiving the head at the sides of the tongue, anda back'portion connected with the front portion, and adapted to befolded on the front portion; substantially as described.

11. A blank for a mantle having a divided front portion, a neck openingand a back portion, and means for fastening the portions together;substantially as described.

12. The combination of the figure-form having head portions formed witha transverse slit in the upper part thereof, and the head coveringhaving front and back portions secured together and having a tongue andslits on the front portion for connecting the head covering with thehead portions; the head portions being inserted in the slits in rear ofthe tongue of the head-covering, and the tongue bearing against the headportions and inserted in the slit of the latter; substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERTHA A. TRUFANT.

Witnesses:

J os. H. HYNsoN, Jr., S. A. TRUFANT.

